Local Evangelicals speak out about immigration reform

As immigration debate comes to the floor of the Senate, evangelicals debate whether reform is the way to go, citing economic pressures and Scripture like Leviticus 19:33-34 (Photo: Ken Chitwood)

The Senate is currently debating, with intention to vote on, S.744, an immigration reform bill aimed at strengthening border security, allowing unauthorized immigrants to apply for citizenship and revamping the legal immigration system.

As the Senate debates the immigration reform bill on its floor, local evangelical and Lutheran leaders are speaking out with their perspective on reform.

Rev. Michael Rinehart, a Houston resident and Bishop of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) sent out a public statement concerning the debate about immigration currently gripping the government and the general public.

“Every day, in my role as a bishop, I learn more reasons why America needs fair immigration reform,” said Rinehart. He said, “Deportations are tearing families apart. Churches are suffering as their members are uprooted by some states’ extreme anti-immigrant laws. Businesses are finding it harder to find productive workers.”

He insisted that Congress must take action now. Rinehart brought it home and said, “We need reform that ensures that Houston continues on its prosperous road thanks to a stable supply of productive workers.” Rinehart said S.744 has the potential to move America, and Houston, forward. He urged Congress to not weaken the bill and to stop bickering. Urging Houstonians to get behind the bill he said, ”Here in Houston, we have a lot riding on these reforms. If we all speak up today, perhaps they’ll get it right.”

Rev. Mark Junkans, Executive Director of LINC Houston, a faith-based non-profit that seeks to restore communities, agreed with Rinehart. A pastor in the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LC-MS) and, with Rinehart, an advocate for Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, he emphasized the economic and social benefits of S.744. He said, “as someone whose day-to-day work for the last 19 years has focused on providing those services in Texas, I can testify that the improvements brought by reform would be no small thing.” Junkans added, “I support immigration reform in a way that truly fixes the problems we face. These problems aren’t going away, and I encourage our lawmakers to finally do something about them.”

Both Junkans and Rinehart referenced national evangelical support for reform and said Christians across the U.S. support fair immigration reform based on economic reality and scriptural authority. The Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) reported that “a broad coalition of evangelical organizations, churches, leaders and universities” known as the Evangelical Immigration Table “have partnered to launch a $250,000 national ad campaign to push members of Congress to pass the bipartisan bill.”

“American evangelicals are strongly in favor of comprehensive immigration reform,” said Dr. Robert P. Jones, CEO of PRRI, who conducted a survey in May that revealed American evangelical opinions on immigration reform. “Pro-reform evangelical leaders have powerful support from people in the pews.”

Still, some Evangelicals disagree with reform in principle, or at least in practice. Discussing results from their poll, PRRI disclosed that there is disagreement in the Evangelical community in regards to comprehensive versus partial reform. More progressive evangelicals, citing Bible verses commending fair and loving treatment of “sojourners” and “aliens” push for comprehensive reform focused on pathways to citizenship. Other, more conservative, parties within the evangelical world favor more partial reform, and an emphasis on border security and preservation of “American” culture.

Kelly Monroe Kullberg, founder of the Veritas Forum and author of Finding God at Harvard, wrote for the Christian Post lambasting the misrepresentative leanings of the Evangelical Immigration Table and said they make no mention of “the whole counsel of Scripture on immigration and citizenship.” “God loves the citizen and the sojourner,” she wrote, “In some contexts Scripture teaches us to welcome. In other contexts it teaches us to be distinct, set apart, and, at times, to build walls.” Kullberg called on both Congress and citizens to work together to address the challenges of immigration with an emphasis on nurturing America’s heritage and future.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a Baptist, is doing his part to stunt the progress of the bill and fulfill Kullberg’s wishes. Earlier in June he shared grave concerns he had about S.744 and asked other members of Congress to heed his warnings and vote the bill down.

Junkans, realizing the battle for immigration reform is by no means a settled matter among evangelicals or the general public said, “This country is only at the starting line of the marathon to reach fair, effective, and compassionate immigration reform.”

He said, “Houston can’t continue to absorb the costs and forego the benefits of fixing our broken immigration system. I hope our elected officials have the wisdom to seize this opportunity and satisfy the majority of Americans by enacting fair and humane immigration reform.”

Good for Ted Cruz.
Lord forbid anything should actually be done about illegals.
“Immigration Reform” means amnesty so why isn’t it simply called what it is.
Amnesty for millions of law breakers and more money poured into this never-ending black hole.
It is spitting in the eye of those who got in line and paid the price to be an American citizen.
They have blended in and are hard workers.
But a pox on them, right?
I had no idea Lutherans were such liberals.
Such a shame.
Go thither and vote, Senators, and know that we see how you vote and will remember at the polls.
God bless Ted Cruz, Governor Perry and all those like them.